I'm gonna vent a minute. I wish I had a quarter for every call or email from folks begging for Stagg in the past two weeks. Now I know this bourbon is a fine whiskey, but what the h-ll is going on? I know PLAYBOY listed it as one of those bottles that every real man should own, and I did get a few calls right after that came out. You shoulda seen how much fun I had with guys who called right after that. "Oh, so you saw the article in PLAYBOY, huh?"

Has there been other major press on this bottle lately to stir up so much craze? I've got folks from all over the country buggin' me about Stagg. I ask folks, "What other bourbons do you enjoy?" When they can't answer that, I almost go nuts.

I honestly haven't had the chance to taste any of the previous bottlings. I sold all my stash last year without saving a bottle for myself. I got to taste this year's at the Festival. Any thoughts on how this year's compares with years past?

tlsmothers wrote:[snip] Any thoughts on how this year's compares with years past?

I never tasted the '02, but as against the '03, I'd say that the while the noses of the '04 and '03 seem very similar (prounounced spicyness, dried fruit and other earthy and woody flavors) the taste and finish are a little diferent. The '03 taste and finish seem somewhat cleaner, drier and less varnished than the '04 while the '04 taste and finish seem a tad richer and more fibrous. I also detect a certain distinct leathery/tobacco note the '04's taste, and especially in the finish, that is different and more distinct from that of the '03. And I certainly don't mean to state that the '03 is not rich, because it is. The '04 seems even richer to me.

tlsmothers wrote:Now I know this bourbon is a fine whiskey, but what the h-ll is going on? I know PLAYBOY listed it as one of those bottles that every real man should own, and I did get a few calls right after that came out. You shoulda seen how much fun I had with guys who called right after that. "Oh, so you saw the article in PLAYBOY, huh?"

Has there been other major press on this bottle lately to stir up so much craze? I've got folks from all over the country buggin' me about Stagg.

Wow...I didn't know anybody read the articles!

At the risk of sounding like a bourbon elitist, I share your frustration for this reason: It's one thing to drink Jack Black because you think it's cool. There's plenty of Jack Black around for those who like to savor it (yes, believe it or not, I am one of those people who enjoys JD Black) as well as those who like to see how many shots they can pound in one sitting on a Saturday night.

GTS, on the other hand, is limited. There is only so much to go around. When folks seek it out because it's trendy, I envision all kinds of things - GTS shots, GTS and diet caffeine free Pepsi, etc. That's not to say there is only one way to enjoy it, but the point is just that - it should be enjoyed, not consumed as a status symbol. GTS is one of the few examples where the industry has tried to provide a unique product for those who are true enthusiasts, and it's a bummer that some well deserved accolades seem to have undermined this, at least in your area.

Thanks "TrueBarrell" for such insightful tasting notes. I only last year discovered the existence of GTS, and was too penny pinchin' last year when I first opened LeNell's to keep a bottle of Stagg for myself. I sold 'em all.

Wow...I didn't know anybody read the articles!

Hey, what would you rather look at? Seductive centerfold or a naked bottle of Stagg?

Believe it or not, I had one guy order a $800 bottle of rum from seeing that Playboy article. 8 year old Bacardi in a Baccarat decanter.

I hear ya. With two girls of my own plus a (gender unknown) baby on the way, a moment of solitude with a bottle of Stagg is much more appealing. Actually, solitude with ANYTHING is appealing! Solitude is scarce around here.

So, LeNell, I have to ask - how do you resist holding back a bottle of Stagg - or anything you like - for yourself? For those of us on the outside, one perk to owning a liquor store would seem to be acquiring bourbon exotica at wholesale prices.

Yeah, it is hard not to hoard everything for myself. However, I opened my store on a shoestring budget last year and had to be really disciplined. Believe me, it ain't easy being disciplined with so much good bourbon around. I did break down and stash a Pappy 23 for myself. That's been my biggest whiskey treat to myself.

I know it's a common topic among enthusiasts to talk about "what they're doing to spread the word" and whatnot, but I'm a bit more selfish about it. I don't *WANT* the world to embrace a bourbon trend. Playboy giving Stagg a writeup will make it absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to get now. Yes, it's selfish, but believe me gang, you DON'T want the world to discover topshelf bourbon.

I see where you're coming from... If bourbon becomes too popular, the bourbons with good reviews will become harder to get/more expensive... but longer term i would imagine it would make it more attractive for the distilleries to make such bottlings, so we would be able to choose from a larger selection.... who knows...

Actually, even more than the pricing, I worry about availability issues. Only a certain percentage of stock is actually good enough to bottle in premium packages. Once demand exceeds supply, the labels will either disappear or fewer "honey barrels" will be used (ie. quality decreases).

Production can increase, but you won't see the benefits for several years.

I always wonder the same thing. With so much stock being used for the 8 to 10 year premium brands and all of the old whiskeys already bottled, just how much is left for future 15+ year bottlings. The distilleries must keep some older whiskeys for taste profiling and such. Was enough whiskey made 12 to 15 years ago to keep us happy? And what of quality?
Certainly any rise in demand could have a negative effect on our future imbibing.

I hate these kinda write-ups like the one in Playboy for the same reason. Press like that "may" get a few folks into bourbon, but from what I see, it just encourages the trophy hunters to come out of the woodwork. I'm prolly one of the few retailers who's refusing to sell Stagg to anyone before all my "regulars" (you know who you are) get a chance to snatch it. Same with some other "trophy" bottles, even in the wine category. Nobody's getting Stagg from LeNell's that hasn't had a decent bourbon conversation with me before.

When the Wine "Speculator" or some other publication like Parker's WINE ADVOCATE comes out, there's always some goofball who calls asking for that "99 point" wine who refuses to listen to you when you tell him/her that bottle "X" or "Y" that you have is just as great a quality for half the price. You've always got those cherry pickers who like to snatch everything up for their trophy cases. This kinda buying behavior makes the true committed freaks struggle a bit more cumbersome to land a bottle.

I was out at D Marie's bourbon bar last night and was talking with the bartender. She was telling me that when the cast from the film "E Town" was up there they kept ordering the Stagg. The thing is that they did not know crap about good bourbon but thought it was great because of the high proof. Of course when the young ladies following Bloom saw he was drinking Stagg, they had to drink Stagg. They sold out of there stock of 2003 Stagg in those few weeks.

You are so on target with that statement, especially in such an image conscious city like New York. That's one reason why I think the new Jim Beam ads here that say something about New Yorker's aren't about labels is such a joke.

"Drinking just to get drunk is like having sex just to get pregnant." --Robert Hess